The Conjuring’s Patrick Wilson likes it really scary

Patrick Wilson isn’t easily impressed by the company he keeps, so he’s usually difficult to win over.

It’s no wonder. Wilson’s been in demand over the past few years.

He was invited to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi adventure Prometheus. He was front and centre in the romantic comedy Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton and he was part of Zack Snyder’s superhero ensemble Watchmen.

Obviously, the Emmy-winning actor and acclaimed Broadway performer likes to keep busy, but not if it means sacrificing his reputation in the name of anything-goes ambition.

That’s why pundits in the film industry were surprised that Wilson accepted a starring role in James Wan’s 2011 supernatural thriller Insidious.

In fact, the 40-year-old wasn’t finished surprising folks. He also agreed to do the Insidious sequel, which arrives in theatres by mid-September.

And then Wilson enthusiastically signed on to be a part of the ensemble in Wan’s new ghost story, The Conjuring.

Apparently, Wan and Wilson have more in common than most suspected. Like the actor, the director tends to be compulsive about doing the best job he can.

“That’s what I like about James — he always pushes every department to the limit,” said Wilson of Wan, who co-created the Saw series of horror films. “And I really do mean that in a good way.”

In The Conjuring, Wilson plays real-life demonologist Ed Warren, who along with his clairvoyant wife Lorraine (portrayed by Vera Farmiga) is summoned to a Rhode Island farmhouse in 1970.

That’s where the paranormal investigators confront an evil presence trying to possess the Perron family members, who are unable to cope with the demon in their isolated home.

Ron Livingston plays the husband and father of five daughters trying to deal with the evil spirit. Lili Taylor is the wife and mother who nearly becomes unhinged.

Authors of multiple books on the paranormal since the 1950s, the Warrens (Ed died in 2006) investigated more than 4,000 alleged incidents, including the famous Amityville haunting, which prompted at least two separate studio films.

The event that inspired The Conjuring was one of the Warrens’ most demanding assignments, the director says.

“I have been tracking the Warrens for years,” Wan said. “And I knew this story was an emotional one for them, so I wanted to avoid the usual haunted-house tropes.”

That would be easier said than done, but the director understood Wilson would be the key “to grounding the film with his gravitas.”

As it turned out, the actor’s involvement was a bonus in another way. It was a promotional tool in attracting the first-rate cast of Farmiga, Livingston and Taylor.

“When I saw Patrick’s name at the bottom of my offer sheet it made a big difference to me,” Farmiga said. “I always wanted to work with Patrick and I knew our collaboration would be a good thing.”

The compliment aside, Wilson said the key cast members understood they would be in the capable hands of Wan. “This great cast is all about James’ reputation,” the actor said.

“We haven’t seen all that he can do,” said Taylor of Wan. “I think the best is yet to come.”

The Conjuring might be his first step, since the movie is not just about the terror of possession.

The story, which takes some liberties with the actual events, focuses on both families — the Warrens and the Perrons — as they try to overcome the spiritual dilemma of the haunting.

Certainly, Livingston, who is not necessarily a believer in spirits, was impressed by his colleagues’ devotion to their portrayals and Wan’s attention to detail.

“And I learned what I look like in a 1970s wig,” he said. “That was the horror part for me.”

Noted Wilson more seriously: “The Conjuring is a scary movie but it is an emotional drama too, so it should be in a different category.”

On the other hand, Insidious: Chapter 2, which is set to open in theatres Sept. 13 , revisits the Lambert family and their cursed existence in a very extreme way.

“It does live up to the expectations of the first one,” said Wilson who returns to play husband and father Josh Lambert.

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